


Walled In

by deutschistklasse



Series: Salvage Universe [7]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Forgiveness, Gen, Inspired By Tumblr, Inspired by Fanfiction, Kanna POV, Salvage!Zuko
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:22:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28410855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deutschistklasse/pseuds/deutschistklasse
Summary: Hakoda takes home his new son. Kanna didn't want new grandchildren and most of all not one who is capable of destroying the village. But Hakoda was always adopting strays, of course, he would pick up a stray apex predator-cub too.
Relationships: Kanna & Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Salvage Universe [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1905865
Comments: 39
Kudos: 556





	Walled In

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MuffinLance](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MuffinLance/gifts).



> This was inspired once again by Salvage and MuffinLance's Tumblr. It was a prompt that screamed to be written.  
> Just imagine that Zuko didn't become Fire Lord, somebody else did, or Hakoda took him home before the end of the war.
> 
> Inspired by this post: https://muffinlance.tumblr.com/post/638698152718958592/hang-on-is-gran-gran-zukos-grandma-now

„I think it needs another layer, Katara.”

„It has twenty layers already, Dad. Isn’t it enough?”

„But we don’t want Jerkface to melt it in like five minutes, do we? Before Gran-Gran and he can sort everything out?”

„Do you really think this will help? Gran-Gran doesn’t know Zuko-speech.”

„Like you know better. Who misunderstood him just this morning?”

„I will show you a misunderstanding!”

„Kids, please. Katara, maybe make it ten more layers, just to be sure.”

The voices of her son and grandchildren were distorted by a thick wall of ice that shut her in the kitchen with the Fire Prince. The very prince who grabbed her parka calling her ancient, who shook her and almost shoved her to the ground despite her not being a threat to him. The prince who beat Sokka and threatened the whole village. As if those raids years ago weren’t enough. Kanna didn’t forget and didn’t forgive those who wronged her family.

Except the Fire Prince was apparently family. She didn’t understand what Hakoda saw in him or why her grandchildren were all right with it. He was the enemy they fled from, the monster who chased them through half the world.

Said enemy was dressed from head to toe in Water Tribe blue, wearing his hair in a traditional Water Tribe style, wringing his hands and sweating under her glare. Good. Let him sweat.

She stalked to the ice wall barring the door. She couldn’t see through it anymore. Her family really locked her up with a fire-wielding beast. What were they thinking?

„I could melt it for you? If you want? You don’t need to speak with me or anything…”

She whirled around to face the prince who wilted looking at her. She didn’t know what expression she was making, but it made the prince pale and stammer.

„Um… Sorry, I will just-” He made a half aborted gesture, then sat down near the fire, right on her usual spot. The nerve of him!

She turned back to the wall, examining it. No weakness, and no irresponsible family in sight. The Fire Prince didn’t count.

She didn’t want to think about them anymore. When they came home, she was overjoyed, but then they were introducing the prince as her new grandson, and she snapped. After all the grief the Fire Nation caused, they forgave and adopted the second-worst possible candidate after Ozai. Of course, she was opposing this. It was for their own good. But did they listen to her? No.

She was angry with her family, she felt betrayed and tossed aside. At least, it seemed the prince too didn’t know what to do in this situation. He just sat on her favorite spot and was more aggravating than anyone had the right to be just by following her every move with his eyes.

Out of habit, she began to prepare dinner. The familiar motions of chopping and dicing relaxed her even as her fingers began to ache and stiffen. By a really strong stab of pain she dropped the knife she was holding. She breathed in and out. Her hands pained her for years, it wasn’t something new. Usually, she would work through it. As she reached for the knife, it was picked up by her unwanted company.

„I can help with dinner if you want. I can prepare the ingredients and help with the fire... I’m used to it. Or I can sweep or lift those boxes or anything you want…”

„Are you saying that I’m useless?”

„No! No, I’m sorry. I just want to help. You seem tired. And your hands… Are you in pain?”

„Why do you even care? You didn’t care when you singled me out, then shook me and shoved me on our first meeting. You threatened me and the villagers, you fought a child trampling everything in your way, you chased my grandchildren for what?! For the glory of the Fire Nation? And now you want me to trust you, to believe that you want to be part of my family!”

She blinked the tears furiously back. She saw her friends be captured by the Fire Nation, she saw her husband go on a hunt and never return, she saw her daughter-in-law dead in the last raid, she saw her son slowly fall apart and she never cried in front of anybody. She wasn’t somebody that insufferable prince can mock. She was stronger than that.

When she looked at the Fire Prince, she was taken aback. He got on his knees and bowed to her, forehead almost touching the floor.

„I’m sorry. You’re right, I was hurtful and violent and you didn’t deserve any of it. I’m sorry. I can’t change what I did to you. To you all. I wish I could change what happened, but I can’t. I just… I try to be better. I want to be better. I will prove it to you. And Dad… um, Hakoda… Um-”

„What about him?”

The prince lifted his head, and there were tears in his eyes too.

„He saved me. More than once. He kept me when he could have killed me or sold me to the Earth Kingdom. He made me part of his crew when I was an outcast. He gave me so much when I didn’t have anything anymore… He forgave me when I was at my lowest and lifted me up. He could have just… like my own Father, but he didn’t… He wanted me. I mattered. And I…”

The prince bit his lips and after a short pause continued, even when it was clear he was embarrassed.

„I love him. I want to be part of this family if you will let me. Don’t make him choose, please. I said it once to Sokka too. If you want me to stop, I will say to him that I don’t want it anymore. Even when I want it. I want it so much.” The boy swallowed heavily. „Katara and Sokka were skeptical too, you know? But we worked it out. Mostly. I think. And I’m not always hurtful, I can be useful too. Just ask the Akhlut’s crew. I can cook, and wash, and make nets. And I’m an apprentice healer! Oh, um… I can’t erase your pain, but I can lessen it. If you let me.”

The boy looked so earnest and so hopeful. Kanna was reminded of the various strays Hakoda took home through the years, one more dangerous than the other. Of course, he would pick up a stray apex predator-cub too. But the boy wasn’t the monster she imagined him to be. She could give him a chance. One. If he would hurt her family again… She ran her fingers over her hair.

„What’s your name again?”

„Zuko. I’m Zuko.”

„All right, Zuko. Show me, what you can do.”

He directed her to the spot by the fire, then knelt before her again, taking one of her hands. He was so careful, so gentle, unlike their first encounter months ago. Kanna felt herself relax as the pain eased up little by little. She could get used to this.

Hours later, when Hakoda and her original grandchildren came back and freed them, dinner was ready, the floor was swept and she was instructing her new grandchild in how to make embroidery on a parka. Really, Hakoda could have kidnapped him years ago.


End file.
